Page 122 of Keep Me Close

With a laugh, I cling to him. It feels like I could float away if I’m not careful. “Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

His grip tightens around me as he lowers my feet to the floor. There’s a mixture of joy and pride on his face, as if this matters to him almost as much as it does to me. As if he never doubted the outcome for a single second.

River claps his teammate on the back. “Looks like your girl is staying in Chicago.”

Knox’s gaze stays pinned to mine. “Yeah, it does.”

That’s all it takes for the weight of this moment to finally settle into place. Not just the role or the relief I feel. But the fact that I don’t have to return to LA. I won’t have to crawl into the version of my life that never really fit just because it’s expected of me.

The future isn’t some box waiting for me to step back into.

It’s wide open and mine to choose.

When I look at the man who believed in me before I knew how to believe in myself, I can’t help thinking that maybe the life waiting for me here in Chicago is bigger and better than anything I could have dared to imagine.

And there’s something magical about that.

42

Knox

As I watch Cheyenne cry and laugh, as if her whole damn world has been turned upside down, I realize how much I want to get her alone.

“Come on,” I say.

She looks up at me, eyes still wide, cheeks flushed and streaked with tears. “Where are we going?”

“Home.”

I take her hand before she can ask any more questions, threading my fingers through hers and tugging her toward the door. She follows without hesitation, still looking half dazed as everyone talks around us.

“Hey, where are you two going?” Rina asks.

“Knox just realized his woman is staying,” River says from somewhere behind us.

I don’t bother turning around.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get everyone together later to celebrate,” I call back, not about to let any of them derail this.

Jax snorts. “Damn right we will.”

I push open the door and we step outside into the cool air. Chey is still shaking by the time we slide into the Maserati. I keep one hand on her thigh the entire drive, rubbing my thumb back and forth as traffic moves around us and the city passes by in a blur.

She looks over at me. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Believe it, baby.”

“I actually got the part, Knox.” She releases a shaky laugh. “I got it.”

“Damn right you did.”

It doesn’t take long before I’m sliding into a spot in the parking garage and cutting the engine. By the time we step into the elevator, Cheyenne is tucked against my side and I’m breathing in the delicate scent of her shampoo, grounding myself in the fact that she’s here with me.

She tips her face toward mine, her eyes bright and a little glassy. “You’re not even surprised?”

“Nope.” I press a kiss to her temple. “Not even a little.”

“How aren’t you?” she asks with a laugh.